Eataly does it again

December 14, 2013 //

Those clever people at Eataly have done it again, this time in Chicago.

Eataly Turin produce section with the salad bar adjacent to the produce display

I first discovered the concept when H and I were doing a case study for M&S on the original Turin site. The old vermouth factory adjacent to the building that houses the Salone del Gusto was a vast space housing all the necessary zones to showcase the best of the slow food movement. Founder Carlo Petrini of the Slow Food Movement created Eataly with local businessman Oscar Farinetti as a place that would support the sale of all the local slow food producers but in a more commercial environment.

The unique element of the concept was combining the ability to buy the product there to take home or to have a massive team of chefs on hand who were creating dishes to eat in. This juxtaposition of the raw material and the finished product was handled with inimitable Italian style so that the whole experience was one of food discovery, showcasing the best producers and their wares.

To be fair, not everything was perfect and during the morning and afternoon, the somewhat empty space was cold and aloof in places just feeling unconnected but when the Italians came in for lunch or dinner, the place transformed into one which was vibrant and inspiring.

Seasonal produce in the New York shop

Enter Mario Batali and the Bastianich crew in the US. In partnering with these guys, the Eataly concept got a new lease of life translating the principles into a central New York hub which addressed the coldness and vast space by the very fact it was centrally located in the Flat Iron district. What the Americans did was add in a pace that simply didn’t exist in Italy. From morning to night, this place is packed. There is a constant buzz around each area that is much more sporadic in Italy. The preparation, cooking and eating in seems to have a new lease of life either at the stand up tables central to the deli area, or alternatively in the well regarded restaurant and everything in between.

New Yorkers stand and snack in the deli zone

Making fresh pasta in store

Design wise, there are things I would do differently, but you really can’t criticise. Everywhere you turn, there are people making products in front of you and the displays are inviting and abundant. It was inevitable that this formula would go further and further, and a couple of weeks ago Chicago opened. Sited on two floors, this is the next evolution and one that is going from strength the strength. There is a new nutella bar to indulge in and a nice balance of space with a central atrium which gives it more breathing space than NYC.

In its first week, Eataly Chicago was reported to have welcomed 120,000 visitors and 80,000 diners. In fact, the launch week was so outstanding that they had to close for a day in order to restore themselves into serviceable order. How wonderful. I just love the open, honest approach and the genuine appreciation expressed in the latter posted on their website:

“Dear Chicago,

What a week! We have never felt more welcomed! More than 120,000 visited our new location, more than 80,000 dined with us at our restaurants and more than 30,000 Chicagoans purchased our food and enjoyed cooking it at home. Never, ever has another Eataly been as successful as our new outpost in Chicago…therefore we say: THANK YOU, CHICAGO!

You have understood and grasped our “experiential” concept and our love for all things Italian and local, along with our priority for high quality food, and passion for education.

Because of this deep understanding of our manifesto and what we believe in, we have decided to close the store on Monday, December 9th, in order to preserve our standards of quality and service. We want to pay back your love and passion for Eataly Chicago by providing you the best food and the best service.

See you all bright and early on Tuesday at 8AM at our Caffe Lavazza!

Thanks again Chicago,

The Eataly Team”

Good luck Eataly Chicago. Congratulations and I can’t wait to see the first UK outpost which is rumoured to be in the making as I type.

Tags Bastianich, Carlo Petrini, Eataly, Mario Batali, Slow food movement

Categories Food, Restaurants, Retail

Tish’s dishes

December 11, 2013 //

We went to newly opened Ember Yard yesterday for lunch.

A blurry pic of the kitchen and Mr Tish at the helm

I have always been a fan of Ben Tish’s food especially at Dehesa. He keeps it simple with good ingredients and nice combinations. His courgette flowers stuffed with goat’s cheese and drizzled with honey is a dish that is truly memorable. Amazing how a small drizzle of honey can transform something.

I have seen him on Saturday Kitchen a few times and can honestly say he is one chef that leaves me wanting to make what he has presented. I replicated his pan-fried hake on the bone with Arbequina olive oil mash, surf clams, chorizo and flat parsley for Mr & Mr Jones to much applause and loved making the Chorizo-stuffed squid with sage, potatoes, peas, capers and aïoli with my niece for dinner one weekend. Both were easy to make and tasty classic combinations.

So I have to say I was excited to see what the impressive Mr Tish was going to do with his new place. As ever, it was Spanish influenced tapas, which is always a good thing but the hook for this new opening is the custom built charcoal grill. It seemed to me that the chef is, as ever, spot on with the concept as this year has to be the year of smokey flavours and simple charcoal cooking.

The interior was lovely with more vibrancy than some of the other concepts and a nice sense of Spanish colouring. I really loved the vibrant oil painting covering the main wall, copper lighting and nice mixture of tables supported by pink/red leather seating. There was a buzz in the place and the open kitchen was there for all to see. The lovely Mr Tish was also at the pass taking a hands on approach to his new place.

Anchovies served on a hot coal with a waft of sherry

The menu has may of his classic dishes plus some new ones to showcase the grill. We tried a few of the smokey centred dishes and liked some of the presentation such as these house smoked sherry cask anchovies which were served on the hot coal. The star of the show was the wood roasted gratin of root vegetables, smoked ricotta and idiazabal cream quite simply because it had a strength of smoke which other dishes were missing.

But the new thing for me, and the interesting fashion which I think will be coming through more and more is the grocery element. Just as that honey brings out the flavour of the goat’s cheese in the courgette flowers, so the chorizo ketchup literally transformed the smoked Basque beef burger. I think alternative ketchups along with other preserves that add a sweetness or heat or indeed sourness are going to be gracing more and more menus. It is the very essence upon which Asian food is based to combine sweet, salty, sour and bitter in perfect partnership but the European style doesn’t tend to pack the punch over all those elements….until now, that is.

Tags Ben Tish, Dehesa, Ember Yard, Saturday Kitchen

Categories Design, Food, Restaurants

Go West Elm

December 5, 2013 //

West Elm opened it’s first UK site today in Tottenham Court Road.

I have to admit that I have not shopped a West Elm in the US but I am a huge fan of their owners Williams Sonoma and there is clearly a standard and attention to detail that permeates the whole company.

The first thing you recognise is the difference in the staff attitude and approach. There were loads of excess teams there as you would expect on opening day but what was lovely was the interaction they had with the customer. It was one of genuine excitement to be opening here in the furniture/homewares heartland of London and also a clear understanding of soft selling.

The other element that translates so competitively from the US model is their ability to catalogue and visually merchandise. They manage to combine these two elements to create wonderful stories which are stimulating and enjoyable to shop. Every corner has something to discover and whilst some product is familiar to me, lots is new and interesting. They are also pretty competitive price wise at the mid level range with clear intro key prices as well as some at the luxury end. In support of all this is a great tone of voice that fits their brand well keeping signage and communication something simple that makes you smile.

At the centre of the shop is a living wall which is something that has been done many times before, but it is still attractive. It adds colour, vibrancy and a sense of outdoor space which helps to define a relaxed tone within. The natural wall wraps around the central staircase which leads downstairs to a more conventional home floor but with nice room sets and an ordering zone which was very efficient when I put it to the test.

The fun zone upstairs is their market area which has a funky coffee shop, a mixture of kitchenware and food plus some well thought out toiletries. Studded throughout the whole ground floor were little highlights which showed product combinations and stimulated nice ideas to enable visualisation of the product in a home environment.

It will be interesting to see how this first foray goes for the Williams Sonoma team. I believe they are looking at other sites for their other brand – Pottery Barn. I personally think it is a welcome addition to the UK high street and I wish them well.

Tags West Elm, Williams Sonoma

Categories Design, Retail, The high street

A wish to be swish

December 4, 2013 //

I know it’s just a stunt but today’s publicity surrounding the world’s most expensive ready meal is fascinating to me.

The ‘Swish Pie‘ is said to be the ultimate fish pie made with turbot, scallops, oysters, smoked salmon and lobster all poached in a Champagne sauce. This is then topped with white truffle and mashed potato plus a gold leaf crumb, and served with spoons of caviar.

These stories used to be set around a specific product or restaurant dish but it says a lot that today it is about a ready meal. When did we get to a place that believes we would spend £314.16 on a ready meal? Still, Charlie Bigham’s have well and truly placed themselves at the luxury end of the market with this one and I think that’s a clever place to be at this moment in time.

What really fascinated me was the elements that they saw fit to improve on in order to justify the price tag. They reflect the key components for anyone working in the food world:

1. Well sourced ingredients

Every single ingredient has a great story, whether it’s the hand dived scallops, the Cornish lobster, the Yukon Gold heritage potatoes, the Dom Perignon 2003 Champagne or the Alba truffle, each and every element has been carefully sourced as the best in its class by chef Bigham.

2. Approachable originality

Really great food has to at least feel original, but sometimes that can be taken too far. So having what I call approachable originality is an important dimension. Here the mother of pearl spoons of Beluga caviar as an amuse-bouche presumably to be consumed whilst the pie is heated (hopefully not microwaved!) is a nice touch. I am sure it helps to raise the value just over the previous claimant of this most-expensive-ready-meal accolade

3. Presentation

They say we eat with our eyes and there is surely a lot to be said about how we present any food product or experience to the customer. The website says that the pie is presented in a gold leaf tray although it looks pretty much like the original panibois tray which maybe has some gold somewhere on it and why oh why didn’t they adapt the cardboard sleeve?

3. Service

Each of these dishes are said to be delivered in a bespoke aluminium case, handcuffed to a security guard. Let’s hope that the guard knows to keep the case held flat or else there really could be trouble…and does he turn the oven on? I am not quite sure how all this delivery is arranged. I guess it is order only and not to be picked up from the multideck fridge at Sainsburys. Shame – I had this vision of plucking said gold tray from the shelf next to the chicken curry and then being pounced upon by some handsome devil who was going to deliver it personally to my home and cook it for me.

Anyway, the point is that service is an integral element to the enjoyment these days and that has to be something that is relevant to the food that is offered. I am not convinced the Swish Pie service has been as clearly thought through as perhaps it could have, but I guess the point is illustrated.

5. Taste

Finally, after all that pomp and circumstance it simply has to taste good. This I can’t comment on since I am definitely not about to spend £314.16 on a ready meal. It is marketing madness. And really someone needs to figure out their pricing policy. I know Charlie boy says it is in reference to Pi but that’s just tenuous. Surely you would round it to £315, wouldn’t you?

Does all this make it, as the charming Mr Bigham hopes, the most exceptional ready meal out there? Somehow I am not convinced, but you have to admire the aspiration. Maybe I’ll go and buy his lasagne and see how that stacks up.

Tags Charlie Bigham, Swish pie

Categories Food, Marketing

Eataly does it again

Tish’s dishes

Go West Elm

A wish to be swish

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